Motor vehicle steering booster



Octfzo, 1942. F, E WOQD 2,299,199

MOTOR VEHICLE STEERING BOOSTER Filed ngc. 1'8, 1941 2 sheets-sheet 1Oct. 20, 1942.

F. Ej woon MOTOR VEHICLE STEERING BOOSTER Filed Dec. 18, 1941 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Uct. 20, 1942 UNITED! STATES PATENT OFFICE'2,299,199 MOTOR VEHICLE STEERING BOOSTER Fremont E. Wood, Matahambre,Cuba Application' December 18,1941, Serial No. 423,537

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an electrically actuated means functioning asa booster for steering motor vehicles so that the steering will beaccomplishd partially by the manual energy exerted by the vehicleoperator and partly by means of an electric motor connected to thesteering shaft and which is energized, when the steering shaft ismanually turned, for turning the shaft in the same direction that it isbeing manually turned.

More particularly, an aim of the invention is to provide an improvedconstruction of electric switch having portions connected to sections ofthe steering shaft and which are moved into engagement, when one sectionof the shaft is manually turned, for coupling the sections, so

that the sections can be manually turned and for also energizing one oftwo electric circuits to the motor for energizing the motor so that thearmature thereof will be caused to turn in the same direction. that theaforementioned end of the shaft section is being manually turned.

Still a further aim of the invention is to provide spring means fornormally holding the parts connected to the shaft sections, which engageto couple the sections, out of engagement to hold the electric switches,which energize the motor, in open positions.

Still a further aim of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thetype described which can be employed with a single switch to function asa booster for the brake shaft in applying the brakes to a motor vehicleon which the attachment was employed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter becomemore fully apparent from the following description of the drawings,which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

' Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the apparatus appliedto a vehicle steering shaft,

Figure 2 is a view showing the apparatus in section and the steeringshaft in side elevation and taken substantially along a plane asindicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an end view partly insection and partly in elevation of theapparatus taken sub,

stantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2, andon an enlarged scale,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view oi' a portion of theapparatus,

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the electric motor, circuits andswitches, and

(ci. 17a-239) Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the apparatus.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like referencecharacters designate like or corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views, I0 designates generally the modified steering shaftcomposed of sections I I and I2 disposed in spaced end to endrelationship. A steering Wheel I3 .is conventionally connected to theremote end of the section II and a steering gear casing I4 having asteering arm I5 is mounted on the remote end of a shaft section I2. Theadjacent ends of the sections II and I2 are provided with taperedportions I6 and threaded terminals I1. The shaft sections II and I2 aremounted in suitable bearings or journals, not shown.

A conventional, reversible electric motor, designated generally I8,includes an armature I9 which is keyed to the shaft section I2 and whichis provided with a commutator 20 at one end thereof. The motor I8 alsoincludes a housing 2| in which is mounted the motor field 22. Thehousing 2| is adapted to be supported on the motor vehicle in anysuitable manner as by means of brackets or supporting arms, not shown.The ends of the housing 2| are provided with bearings 23 through whichthe shaft section I2 extends and in which it is journaled for holdingthe armature I9 concentric in the field 22. The housing 2| also carriescommutator brushes 24 and 25. .i E

A yoke 26 is provided with depending ends, one of which has a taperedopening 21 for receiving the tapered portions I6 of the shaft sectionI2. A nut 28 engages the threaded end |1 of section I2 and bears againstthe inner side of said end of the yoke 26 for drawing said taperedportion I6 into wedging engagement with the Iopening 21 for securing theyoke 26 fast to the shaft section I2. The opposite end of the yoke 26 isprovided with an opening which contains a bushing 29 which turnablyengages the shaft section II between the steering wheel I3 and itstapered portion I6. The yoke 26, adjacent its last mentioned end, isprovided with a crossarm or crosshead 30. A crosshead or crossarm 3| isprovided with a tapered opening 21, intermediate of its ends, forengaging the portion I6 of section II and the end I1 of section II isprovided with a nut 28 for holding said portion I6 in wedging engagementwith the crosshead 3| and fast on the shaft section vI I.

'I'hrough each end of eachof the crossheads 30 and 3| extend two boltswhich are laterally e spaced from one another. The bolts of the two vcrossheads are provided with heads at their adjacent ends, 'I'he boltsof the crosshead 30 are designated 32, 33, 34 and 35. The bolts of thecrosshead 3| are designated respectively 32a, 33a,

34a, and 35a. As best seen in Figure 3, each of The heads of the boltsand the nuts 31 and the washers 38 are likewise insulated from thecrossheads by portions ofthe sleeves 36.

The crossheads 30 and 3| are provided, adjacent their ends, withinwardly opening sockets 39. The complementary sockets 39 are adapted toreceive and seat the ends of expansion coil springs 40 which function tohold the crossheads 30 and 3| substantially parallel to each other.

Referring toFigure 5, wherein the motor and its electric circuits areshown diagrammatically, 4| designates a source of electric current suchas a storage battery on the positive side of which extends a conductorwire 42 to which is connected the eld 22 and which also is connected tothe contacts 33 and 35, beyond the field 22. Between the battery 4I andthe field 22 an adjustable resistance 43 may be provided in theconductor Wire 42 to vary the power of the motor I8 to suit therequirements of the operator of the vehicle on which the apparatus ismounted. A conductor' wire 44, which is connected to the contacts 32 and34, connects with the negative side or ground of the battery 4I or canbe groundedat 45, for example, to the frame of the vehicle to which thereversing the direction of v flow of theV current through the brushes inrelation to the eld 22 and reverse the direction of rotation of thearmature I9. It .will thus be seen that the motor I8 will act as abooster and furnish a portion of the energy required to steer a vehicle,with which it is associated, thereby reducing the manual effort requiredof the vehicle operator. The contacts are suiilciently strong so thatshould the current fail the crossheads 30 and 3| and the yoke 26 willform a coupling by means of which the vehicle can be manually steeredwithout damaging the contacts. f y

' In addition to the function of the apparatus,

previously described, said apparatus will also act as a safety device incase of a blowout of one of the front tires or one of the front tiresstriking an obstruction', either of which occurrences would battery 4Iis likewise grounded. A conductor wire 4B connects the brush 24 to thecontacts 32a and 35a and a conductor 41 connects the brush 25 to thecontacts 33a and 34a.

From the foregoing, it will be obvious that lwhen the operator of thevehicle, on which the apparatus is mounted, turns the steering wheel |3to the right or in a clockwise direction, that the shaft section |I willbe rotated in the bearing 29 to vthereby rotate the crosshead 3| in a pclockwise direction, as seen in Figure 3. This will cause the contacts32a, 33a. to move into engagement with the contacts 32 and 33 so thatthe current from the battery 4| will iiow through the conductor wire 42,through the field 22 and the contacts 33 and 33a, through the conductorwire 4`| and brush 25, out through brush 24 and conductor wire 46,through contacts 32 and 32a and back to the ground 45 or negative sideof the battery throughthe conductor 44, to cause the motor I8 to turnthe shaft section I2 in the same direction as the shaft section that isbeing manually turned. Thus, the shaft section |2 will be turnedpartially by the manual power exerted on the steering Wheel I3 andpartly by the motor I8 but only so long as the steering wheel is beingturned manually as thereafter the springs will throw the contacts out ofengagement to deenergize the motor I8. Similarly, when the steeringwheel I3 is turned in the other direction, the contacts 34a and 35a willengage contacts 34 and 35 respectively, so that the current will iiowthrough the conductor 42, contacts 35 and 35a, conductor 46, brush 24,brush 25, conductor 41, contacts 34a and 34, and conductor 44 back tothe ground or negative side of the battery, thus turned. Y i

cause the front wheels to swerve to either the right or the left. Shouldthis occur, the shaft section l2 would be turned relatively to the shaftsection I to close the proper circuit for energizing the motor I8 andcause it to exert power to turn the shaft section I2 in the oppositedirection'.

The apparatus can also be applied t0 the vehicle brakes by omitting oneset of contacts. 32,

32a., 33, 33a, or the other set of contacts 34, 34a,

35 and 35a, as it would only be necessary to have the motor I8 drive inone direction- When applied to the automobile brakes, the crosshead 3|would be attached to the brake pedal and the crosshead 30 and the motorI8 would be applied to thebrake shaft together with suitable yieldingmeans to absorb some of the thrust of the brake pedal.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously beresorted to, provided they fall within the spirit and scope oftheinvention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim, as only apreferred embodiment thereof has been disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

A steering apparatus comprising a, steering gear section and a steeringwheel section, said sections being turnably mounted on theirlongitudinal axes and being arranged in spaced end to end relationship,an electric motor, the armalture of the motor being mounted on andsecured to the steering gear section and disposed therearound, a iieldcarrying housing in which the armature is disposed and through which thesteering gear section extends and in which it is journaled, a yokehaving angularly extending ends, the adjacent end of the steering gearsection being secured fast to one of the ends of the yoke, the other endof the yoke turnably engaging the steering wheel section, av crossheadmounted on the intermediate portion of the yoke,

a crosshead keyed to the adjacent ,end of the.

steering wheel section, said crossheads being disposed one above theother, expansion spring means disposed between the complementary ends ofthe crossheads for normally holding said ends out of engagement, andswitch contacts mounted on the ends of said crossheads forclosingcircuits to the electric motor when the contacts are closed, toenergize the motor so as to cause it to turn the steering gear sectionin the same direction that the steering wheel section is beingyFRm/iorrr E. WOOD.

